durkee



(No Model.) Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. B. DURKEE & W. BECKER.

GUITAR.

Patented Nov. 21 1888,,

2 SheetsSheet 2.

G. B. DUR'KEE & W. BECKER.

(No Model.)

GUITAR.

Paten d Nov. 27, 1888.

Mfg 121 Gar/5 504. Ga f,

UNITED STATES PATENT CrrreE.

GEORGE B. DURKEE AND WOLFGANG BECKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLl'XOlS, ASSIGNORSTO LYON & HEALY, OF SAME PLACE.

GUITAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,694, dated November27, 1888.

Application filed August I, 1888. Serial No. 281,668. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GEORGE B. DURKEE and WOLFGANG. BECKER, bothcitizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Guitars, of which the following is a specitication.

Prior to our invention guitar-players have while playing usuallypositioned the right hand by resting the fourth or little finger uponthe face or soundboard (as it is commonly termed) of the guitar atapoint to permit the player to pick the strings with the remainingfingers of such hand. This mode of playing a guitar involves certainobjectionable features, among which may be noted a lack of freedom inthe movement of the fingers, owing to the necessitated position of thehand, a cramping and tiring of the little finger, a defacemeut of theinstrun'ient at the point where the finger of the player rests thereon,and to a certain extent a check upon the desired free vibration of theinstrument.

The object of our invention is to avoid all of the foregoingobjectionable features in guitar-playiug and to readily and naturallyposition and rest the right hand of the player, so that while thestrings can be picked with ease and facility the ends of the playersfingers may be at all times brought in proper contact with the stringsand the free action of the fingers in picking controlled and gaged withreference to the most approved mode of playing.

In carrying out our invention we provide for any ordinary or suitableguitar a handrest adapted to be so positioned upon the instrument thatthe player may rest the right hand upon such hand-rest, and at the sametime freely and properly pick the strings.

The hand-rest can be made adjustable in order to accommodate differentlengths of fingers, although exceedingly beneficial results can beattained by a non-adjustable hand-rest, as hereinafter set forth.

For the broader purposes of this invention the hand-rest may be of anydesired construction and material, and can be applied to the guitar invarious ways; but as a special fea ture of improvement the bridge isadapted to serve as a holder for the hand-rest.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in perspective aguitar with a hand rest applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents inperspective and on a larger scale the handrcst of Fig. 1. Fig. 3represents a section taken on a horizontal plane through the standardand swiveljoint of said hand-rest. Fig. 4 repre sents a centrallongitudinal section taken through a guitar, with another form of handrest applied thereto. Fig. i represents the hand-rest of Fig. 4 madeadjustable. Fig. 5 shows a section of the guitar-body, and shows anotherform of rest applied in a somewhat different way. Fig. 6 is a viewsimilar to the preceding figure and shows still another form ofhand-rest.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the hand-rest A is shaped somewhat similar tothehead or top of a crutch and adjustably connected with a standard, 13,which latter is in turn adapted to be fitted in a hole or socket in thebridge (I of the guitar. As one of various waysin which the handrest canbe adjnstably held upon the standard, the latter is provided withaswivel-joint, l), which is adj nstably held upon the standard, and thehand-rest is adj ustably connected with the swivel-joint, wherebyseveral desirable adj nstments of the hand-rest may be made. Theswiveljoint comprises a sleeve, (Z, which is fitted to slide upon thestandard and provided with a suitable bearing, (1, for a pivot, d whichextends through said bearing and is provided at one end with a head, (2,having a hole suitable for the reception of the stem or shank portion aof the hand-rest. The head (1 of the pivot is herein shown fitted in acap, (1, having holes respectively in register with the opposite ends ofthe hole or here that is formed transversely through the head orenlarged end (1 of the pivot, and said cap is at one end beveled andarranged to enter a conical recess, (1", in the bearing (1. The pivot isalso provided with athreaded end, (2", for a tighteir ing-nut, d, and ifpreferred a washer can be arranged between said nut and the bearing (1,and a recess provided in the latter for a spring, (2, which whenproperly placed in the recess will abut against the inner end wall ofthe re cess and the inner side of the washer, although the spring andthe washer can both be dispensed with without materially changing thecharacter of the device. By tightening up the nut the cap d will bewedged into the recess (2 so as to prevent rotation on the part of thecap, and hence prevent rotation on the part of the pivot, since the capand the joint are keyed together by the stem a, which passes throughboth. The tightening up of the nut also serves to draw the head of thepivot toward the bearing independently of the cap, whereby the stem awill be drawn laterally in its bearings-through the cap, and hence willbind to an extent to prevent its longitudinal slip.

To hold the bearing d on the standard 13, the bearing is split, so thatwhen the nut is tightened up the sleeve (1 will be tightened on thestandard. On the other hand, when the nut is loosened, the pivot can beturned about its axis to raise and lower and vary the angle of thehand-rest, in addition to which the stem a can be moved longitudinallyto shift the hand-rest toward or away from the guitar neck; also, thesleeve can be both turned about and adjusted up or down upon thestandard, thereby adjusting the hand-rest with great nicety; but nolimitation is herein placed upon such particular construction ofadjustable joint, since simpler forms involving fewer adjustments couldobviously be made. The lower end, I), of the standard is adapted toenter one of the holes commonly provided in the bridge for the pins thatwedge in such holes and serve as keepers for the knotted ends of theguitar-strings, it being seen that upon removing one of such pins thestandard can be put in its place. A separate hole or socket could ofcourse be provided in the bridge for the standard; but for the sake ofsimplicity we prefer utilizing one of the holes usually provided for thepins or keepers.

In Fig. L the hand-rest A is provided with a bent stein, a, which takesthe place of the standard of the preceding figures, and which can, asshown, be inserted into one of the usual holes-or sockets in the bridgeor in any extra socket provided in the bridge for its reception.

\Vhile this particular hand-rest is not adjustable in height, it will beevident that the stem a of Fig. 4 could be made in two parts, one part,a being hollow or sockcted, as in Fig. 4, to receive the other part, aand provided with a nut, a", arranged to screw upon the hollow portionof the stem, which latter should be split, so that the nut can tightenit upon the other portion of the stem. The handrest in Fig. I can,however, be swung around into proper position and its stem then wedgeddown into the socket in the bridge. The hand of the player can with suchconstruction be adjusted upon the hand-rest, in which way the devicewill be found convenient and service able, and, being simpler andcheaper than the device of the first three figures, will in manypurposes be found both practical and desirable.

In Fig. 5 the hand-rest A is formed of a bent strip of metal having itsstem at adapted to rest on the bridge and prolonged, as at a so that itmay at its rear end be attached to the guitar by a pin, a". In such casethe pin a can have a bearing in the tail-block c, which is commonlyfitted within the guitar-body,and the bridge can be provided with a pad,0', for the stem to rest upon, so as to avoid jarring sound. With suchconstruction the metal strip can be bent at will, so as to properlyposition the hand-rest.

In Fig.6 the hand-rest A consists of a metal strip or wire properly bentand having its stem a attached to a peg, a, which latter is in turnfitted in a hole or socket in the bridge.

From the foregoing it will be seen that various means may be providedfor so supporting the hand-rest as to place it in the desired position,and that any suitable mechanical way for adjusting such hand-rest can beemployed.

In playing a guitar, the player in using the fingers of the right handto pick the strings will rest the edge of the palm of the hand on thehand-rest, in which position the strings can be picked with ease.

\Vhat we claim as our invention is 1. A guitar handr'est adapted forapplication to a guitar in position to support the hand employed inpicking the strings, said handrest being of a height to elevate andposition the hand of the player over the sound-board and to determinethe extent to which the fingers can drop toward the strings,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. An adjustable guitar hand-rest adapted for application to a guitar inposition to support the hand employed in picking the strings,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with a guitar, of a hand rest adapted and arrangedto support and position the hand of the player over the soundboard andto determine the extent of drop on the part of the fingers toward thestrings, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination,with a guitar, ofahandrest, for the purposedescribed, supported upon the bridge, substantially as set forth.-

5. The combination,withaguitar, of ahandrest, for the purpose described,having a supportfitted within ahole or socket in the bridge,substantially as set forth.

6. The combination,withaguitar, of ahandrest, for the purpose described,adj ustably connected with a support which is adapted to lit in a holeor socket in the bridge, substantially GEORGE B. DUEKEE. IVOLFGANGBECKER.

as set forth.

\Vi tnesses:

OHAs. G. PAGE, L. L. PAGE.

IIC,

